Hi, this is my first fanfic so it may not be very good yet. For those of you who haven't read the summary, I wasn't sure what category to put this in, so I put it here, because I'm slightly basing it on the Hunger Games. So, if you find some reference or similarity to it, I probably don't own it.

"Hello!" I rouse myself from my reverie.

"What's your name?"

I look around, spotting a young girl by the street. "Oh, hello! I didn't see you there," I reply.

"My name's Evelyn. What's yours?"

She smiles. "Hello, Evelyn! I'm Catlina," she replies.

"I haven't seen you around here before," I say. "Where are you from?"

She walks over. "Oh, you won't know that place. It's really far away."

I smile. "I wouldn't be too sure of that. You see, I'm also from a place that not many people would know of. In fact, I'm the only one around here who is knowledgeable about it." She's probably only joking, I think. How can there be a place unknown to me?

She laughs. "You're from Little Town, correct?"

I am stunned.

Catlina grins again. "I thought so. My world used to be so wonderful..."

What? I wonder. That doesn't make any sense. She talks about it as if it isn't...no, wasn't, on Earth at all... I look back to see her turning away.

"Catlina, wait!" I cry.

She stops and turns back to face me. "I should never have come here," she says sadly.

I don't understand her, but I try to help her anyway. "Please, stay," I plead. "This neighborhood is nice and..."

She looks at me with sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay. I'm needed."

I wonder about this, but before I can reply, she has gone. The girl of sadness, I think.

I am walking back to my house, when I hear a slight rustle behind me. I turn around, hoping to see Catlina, but no, it is only Kyle.

"What are you doing here?" I query.

He jumps when he hears my voice. "Oh, it's only you, Evelyn."

I sigh. "No, it's the alien who just came from outer space in that," I say, pointing to the swings.

"Oh, haha," he replies.

"So really, what are you doing here?" I ask.

He looks at me. "Looking," he says.

Puzzled, I ask, "For?"

He smiles. "You." comes his answer.

I suddenly flash back to the past, when Kyle had once lived here. We had been kids, playing, and he had turned to ask me a question. "How old are you?"

I continued to swing, saying, "Eleven." He had smiled then, too, his smile so sweet that it seemed to light up the area around us.

"Me, too. We're the same age," he had said.

"So?" I asked.

"So we could... you know..." came his evasive answer.

I didn't understand, so I asked to clarify exactly what we could do.

He had looked away.

I had wondered at the time why. Then I knew.

He continued, "We could..." It took him a lot of effort, but he finally gave me an answer. "We could be a couple. You know, get married or something?"

My eyes had widened, and I just stared at him.

When he turned back, he saw me looking at him and blushed. "What?" he asked.

I felt like I had been frozen, unable to move.

He sighed. I heard him murmur faintly, "I really thought..."

The flashback ended as quickly as it had begun. How long had it been? A few seconds? A few minutes? I see Kyle looking at me with concern in his eyes, and realize that I am lying on my bed.

I groan. "How long was I out?"

He blinks, and the look is gone, replaced by a controlled glance at me. "You've only been out for a little while, but I thought it best if I brought you home," he says.

"Oh," I murmur. "Thank you."

He turns and sees me looking at my bedsheets. "What are you looking at?" he asks.

"Hm?" I reply. "Oh, nothing," I say.

He doesn't look like he will accept the answer and begins to say something, but then we hear footsteps and the door opens.

"Hello? Who's there?" comes a familiar voice. "Oh, it's you Evelyn. What are you doing in your bed? Is something wrong? Who is this?"

I look up at my father. His questions make me smile.

"What?" he asks.

"Oh, nothing," I say.

My father takes in the scene once more. "Are you okay? You haven't answered any of my questions," he says.

I sigh. "Okay," I say. "I'm fine. Oh, by the way, this is Kyle."

My father turns to survey him. "Kyle, eh? Do I know you? Where are you from?" Then, as if he had a second thought, he adds, "And what are you doing in my little girl's room?"

I flush. "Dad, I'm not a little girl! He was just helping me."

Kyle turns to explain, but my father just stares at him suspiciously."Helping you? With what?"

I sigh. This conversation is going nowhere. I decide to explain what had happened. "Well, you see..."

As soon as I finish, my father gets up to leave.

"Where are you going? Aren't you going to say anything?" I ask.

He turns to me. "As a matter of fact, I do have something to say. I want to thank you Kyle, for helping my daughter."

Kyle looks up. "It was nothing," he says modestly.

My father grins. "Nothing, eh? You think being able to carry my daughter all the way here is nothing? I must say, she's starting to get a bit heavy. Maybe she should lay off the deserts from now on," he jokes.

I give him a light push. "Dad!"

He looks at his watch. "Look at the time!" he says. "I really must get going. I'll see you later, Evelyn."

I wave to him. "Bye, dad."

My father walks out of the room and closes the door, leaving us alone.

Kyle breaks the silence by asking, "So, are you okay now?"

I answer, "Of course I'm okay. You heard what I told my dad."

He looks at me. "What happened?"

I recall what had suddenly come into my mind.

What would Kyle's reaction be if I told him the truth? I wonder. I decide that I will not tell him.

"Oh, nothing," I respond.

It looks like he won't accept it, but he changes his mind and doesn't question any further. Instead he says, "Well, I should get going soon. Will you be alright on your own?"

The concern in his voice makes me smile. "Kyle, go. You don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine."

He doesn't look convinced, but I urge him to go, and he finally leaves.

I sigh. I wonder about what I had said. Will I really be okay?

I find myself thinking about way he laughs, his sweet smile, that look in his eyes.

I've never been able to truly understand my feelings, and I am wishing yet again that I could. This feeling that I have, this feeling of incompleteness, won't go away. I wonder if I am falling in love.

That wouldn't be so bad, I think. Kyle is nice.

I struggle to push the thought away. Never have I been able to cope with thoughts like these. The problem is, they just keep coming back. I sigh.

Why? I wonder. Why am I condemned to this? Why am I condemned to forever be thinking this way? Why?

Suddenly, an image pops into my head. I try to break free of its hold, but it is too much.

I blink.

I am looking up into a bright light, when suddenly, I hear voices lifting in song. The sound is so beautiful that even though I cannot understand the words, the music moves me.

But it does not last.

Suddenly, a dark wave sweeps over, blocking the light and making the world pitch-black. It brings misery and despair, along with an evil feeling that I cannot shake off.

What has caused this sudden change? I wonder. What darkness will wipe out the sun?

These questions seem to engulf me in curiosity, when the darkness leaves and the wonderful song begins again.

I find myself wondering, What changes are in store for my home?

Please review!